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In September 2006, NASCAR announced the purchase of Canada’s premier stock car series - CASCAR.
They also revealed a long-term sponsorship agreement with the Canadian Tire Corporation.
This signaled a new era for professional stock car racing in Canada.
The series debuted in late May at Cayuga Speedway. The opening round was followed by races at Mosport International Raceway and Barrie Speedway. The teams then traveled west competing at SunValley Speedway in British Columbia and the Edmonton City Center Airport. In August, the series made its first visit to Quebec with an event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Round seven was another weekend at Mosport but this time it was on the oval which was followed by Circuit Trois Rivieres, Quebec. The championship returned to Cayuga and Barrie in early September. The penultimate round was at Riverside Speedway in Nova Scotia with the finale being held at Kawartha Speedway. There was a total of twelve race weekends in five different provinces. The first season included many of the teams that had previously participated in the CASCAR series and some new faces. The switch to NASCAR also meant changes to event procedures, technical inspections and the cars. The series cars are a constructed using a steel tube frame design covered with a fiberglass body and are required to weigh no less than 3000-lbs with the driver. Eligible body styles are the 2005-2007 Dodge (Avenger and Charger), Ford (Fusion and Taurus), Pontiac (Grand Prix) and Chevrolet (Monte Carlo SS). Engine displacement which can range from 350-360-cu.in. is dictated by the make and model of the vehicle. The carbureted eight-cylinder motors produce approximately 550-horsepower at 6,500-rpm and depending on gearing can achieve a speed of 160-mph. The 2007 season finale was held on the 3/8-mile paved oval at Kawartha Speedway. Competitors would compete in the Dodge Dealers of Ontario Dodge Charger 250.
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Twenty-five drivers took the Starter’s green flag in the series finale at Kawartha Speedway. On the pole was Mark Dilley in the Mobil 1/Exide/Leland Industries sponsored Dodge Avenger. This was Dilley’s second pole position of 2007, he was also the quickest in qualifying at the Mopar 300 in Barrie. Sharing the front row with Dilley is Brad Graham in the No. 19 Dodge Charger with backing from Full Throttle Energy Drinks. |
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Until Kawartha, it had been a difficult season for the driver of the No. 22 Toronto Marlies/Erb Group Dodge Charger, Scott Steckly. The bitterest moment occurred at SunValley Speedway when a green-white-checkered allowed J.R. Fitzpatrick to snatch the victory from Steckly. But he was not to be denied at the finale. Steckly took the lead for the final time on lap-234 and held off a hard-charging Peter Gibbons. |
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The podium for the last race of the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship. To the right is the runner-up, Peter Gibbons – standing next to Gibbons is Tony Kuczynski from Canadian Tire. And, on the left, completing the rostrum is the third-place finisher, Ron Beauchamp, Jr. In the center, taking his first victory of the season is Scott Steckly. For each of these competitors this was their best result of the year. |
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It was a good season for the veteran CASCAR campaigner, Mark Dilley. In addition to winning the Atlantic Dodge Dealers 300 at Riverside Speedway in Nova Scotia, Dilley started from the pole position at Barrie Speedway and Kawartha. He led the first eleven-laps before surrendering first place to Don Thomson, Jr. Dilley did not maintain the pace of the leaders and finished twelfth – the first car not on the lead lap. |
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Peter Gibbons the 1999 and 2000 CASCAR Super Series champion qualified the Canadian Tire/Mastercraft Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS nineteenth in the twenty-five car field. This was in sharp contrast to the previous round at Riverside Speedway where Gibbons started on the pole. At Kawartha, he drove a strong race and finished second - just 0.341-seconds behind the winner Scott Steckly. |
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Brad Graham had a good reason to be optimistic - starting on the outside of the front row in the Full Throttle Energy Drink sponsored Dodge Charger. His best race result to date was a fifth at the second Cayuga International Speedway. Unfortunately, Graham’s luck would change during the course of the event – he finished twenty-first – thirty-four laps behind the leaders. |
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The driver of the No. 60 Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, Ron Beauchamp, Jr. turned in some great performances during the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. At the Mopar 300, Beauchamp was the third fastest qualifier and he scored the final position on the podium at Mosport International Raceway. He was gridded eighth for the season finale and at the conclusion of the event had another finish on the rostrum. |
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The No. 39 Dickies/Hamilton Tiger-Cats Dodge Charger was raced by Dave Whitlock. Whitlock was a three-time CASCAR Super Series champion – having won the title in 1991, 1997 and 1998. His highlight of the season thus far was a runner-up finish at the second Barrie Speedway event. In the finale, Whitlock started eighteenth and was fifth at the checkered flag. |
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The battle for the championship was between Andrew Ranger in the No. 27 Ford Fusion and the Dodge Charger of D.J. Kennington. Ranger entered the finale with a forty-one point lead over Kennington. Running a conservative pace that would allow him to finish in the top-ten would give Ranger the title. On lap-98, Kennington retired as the result of an engine failure. Ranger finished six and took the championship by 103-points. |
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Before lap-233 it appeared that Don Thomson, Jr. might win his third race of the season – in 2007, Thomson scored victories in the season opener at Cayuga and the Mosport oval. During the Kawartha event, he led over half the laps. But after Scott Steckly took first place on lap-234, Thompson dropped down the order and finished ninth after starting third. |
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Canadian Tire’s Vice President of Automotive, Tony Kuczynski congratulates the first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion, Andrew Ranger. Prior to his stock car career, Ranger was a successful open-wheel road racer. After winning a Canadian Karting title and the 2003 Fran Am championship, he moved to the Champ Car World Series. As a rookie competing in a new motorsport discipline, this was quite an accomplishment. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVERS | SPONSOR / CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Scott Steckly | AW Millwrights / Dodge Charger | 255 | - |
| 2 | 19 | Peter Gibbons | Canadian Tire / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 255 | - |
| 3 | 8 | Ron Beauchamp, Jr. | Mopar / Dodge Avenger | 255 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Derek Lynch | Allied Steel / Dodge Charger | 255 | - |
| 5 | 18 | Dave Whitlock | Dickies / Dodge Charger | 255 | - |
| 6 | 11 | Andrew Ranger | WAL-MART / Ford Fusion | 255 | - |
| 7 | 13 | Jim Lapcevich | Tim Hortons / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 255 | - |
| 8 | 23 | Jason White | Timeless / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 255 | - |
| 9 | 3 | Don Thomson, Jr. | Home Hardware / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 255 | - |
| 10 | 9 | John Gaunt | Centennial Chrysler / Dodge Avenger | 255 | - |
| 11 | 17 | Jason Hathaway | Snap-on / Dodge Charger | 253 | - |
| 12 | 1 | Mark Dilley | Leland / Dodge Avenger | 253 | - |
| 13 | 16 | John Fletcher | Lucas Oil / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 253 | - |
| 14 | 10 | Kerry Micks | Beyond Digital / Ford Taurus | 252 | - |
| 15 | 22 | Pierre Bourque | driving.ca / Dodge Charger | 251 | - |
| 16 | 7 | Ron Van Es | Tailgate Headquarters / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 250 | - |
| 17 | 14 | Jim White | Reddi-Mix / Dodge Avenger | 247 | - |
| 18 | 12 | Doug Brown | Haldex / Dodge Charger | 247 | - |
| 19 | 20 | Bob Merrifield | Walt's / Dodge Avenger | 247 | - |
| 20 | 21 | Nik Lapcevich | Hal-Nor / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 226 | - |
| 21 | 2 | Brad Graham | Full Throttle / Dodge Charger | 221 | - |
| 22 | 24 | Kent Nuhn | BOC Gas / Pontiac Grand Prix | 184 | Brakes |
| 23 | 5 | J.R. Fitzpatrick | Milwaukee / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 176 | Did Not Finish |
| 24 | 25 | Trevor Monaghan | Seven Star / Dodge Avenger | 128 | Did Not Finish |
| 25 | 15 | D.J. Kennington | Castrol / Dodge Charger | 98 | Engine |
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